Pied Starling
Lamprotornis bicolor
Silhouette: Rafael Maia · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilySturnidae (Starlings)
- GenusLamprotornis (Glossy Starlings and Allies)
- SpeciesLamprotornis bicolor (Pied Starling)
About the Pied Starling
The pied starling or African pied starling (Lamprotornis bicolor) is a bird endemic to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. It is common in most of its range, but largely absent from the arid northwest and the eastern lowlands of South Africa. It is found in open habitats such as grassland, karoo scrub, thornbush and agricultural land, and often associates with farm animals.
The pied starling was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the thrushes in the genus Turdus and coined the binomial name Turdus bicolor. Gmelin based his description on "Le merle brun du cap de Bonne Espérance" that had been described in 1775 by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in his book Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. The pied starling is now placed in the genus Lamprotornis that was introduced in 1820 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The adult of this 27–28 cm (11 in) long starling has mainly dully glossed black plumage except for a white lower belly and... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Pied Starling in Addo Elephant National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Addo Elephant National Park
Red-shouldered Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis nitens
Red-winged Starling
Onychognathus morio
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Wattled Starling
Creatophora cinerea
Violet-backed Starling
Cinnyricinclus leucogaster
Pale-winged Starling
Onychognathus nabouroup
Southern Fiscal
Lanius collaris
Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilis
Cape Wagtail
Motacilla capensis
Cape Crow
Corvus capensis
Pied Crow
Corvus albus
Bokmakierie
Telophorus zeylonus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Pied Starling in Addo Elephant National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pied Starling sighting in Addo Elephant National Park, based on 272 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Pied Starling in Addo Elephant National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Pied Starling in Addo Elephant National Park in our monthly data.